JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN AYURVEDIC SCIENCES

Special issue on
“Impact of Mann ki Baat on Ayush Sector”

The Prime Minister has continuously emphasized the promotion and growth of India's
Ayush sector in his Mann ki Baat programmes. As the 100th edition of programme is
scheduled on 30th April 2023, Ministry of Ayush is publishing a special issue of Journal of
Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, an official publication of Central Council for Research in
Ayurvedic Sciences. This special edition of the will focus on the “Impact of Mann ki Baat on
the Ayush Sector” under seven different sections like Policy & Public Health; Science &
Evidence; Health Education & Awareness; Yoga & Swasthavritta (Lifestyle, Exercise, Food,
Nutrition); War against Corona; Industry & Academia Collaboration; and Globalization &
International Cooperation.
The Mann ki Baat programme had a significant transformational impact on the Ayush
sector, which is outlined under the section on policy and public health by Secretary Ayush,
Vd Rajesh Kotecha.
In a section specifically devoted to science and evidence, different authors discussed
the importance of adequate evidence and the necessity for a critical yet practical approach
for traditional Indian systems of Medicine. Ayurgenomics, an approach of combining
contemporary genetic research with Ayurvedic ideas like Prakriti, by CSIR-IGIB is
explored together with other significant topic like the use of artificial intelligence in
traditional medicine. Experts from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science
(NIMHANS), Bengaluru shared their experiences and briefed the Systemic Integrative
Healthcare Model practiced by them for Promoting Evidence-Based Medicine as envisioned
in Mann Ki Baat.

Since the future of the Ayush sector relies also on the appropriate nurturing of talent
among the students in these fields, a section on Health education and awareness is included
in the special issue. This section mainly focuses on the Indian government's initiatives in
this area and summarizes educational reforms motivated by Maan Ki Baat. The Education
reforms undertaken by NCISM like introduction of Competency Based Medical Education,
Steps for improving scientific writing skills among post graduate guides and promoting
quality publication are briefed by experts from NCISM.

The case studies from Tata Memorial Center Mumbai on research on yoga among
breast cancer survivors highlight the surge in evidence generation from non-conventional
methods in challenging conditions. The ground report on how International Yoga Day
has affected people's daily lives is also discussed in this section. The observance of
International Day of Yoga saw a remarkable rise from 9.59 crores participants in 2018 to
22.13 crore participants in 2022. Article on millets describes the responses made by
Ayush Institutes across India in reaction to the mention in Mann ki Baat like, Millet
Canteen (Pathya Ahara Unit) on the hospital premises of All India Institute of Ayurveda,
New Delhi; Health and Millets Expo at Institute for Teaching and Research in Ayurveda
(ITRA) Jamnagar; Millet and Natural Food Festival at Government Yoga and Naturopathy
Medical College and Hospital Chennai; and Ragi Cookies developed in the pharmacy of the
National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur etc.
During the epidemic, the Ministry of Ayush implemented a number of measures to
prevent and combat COVID-19. An article in the "war against corona" section provides
information on the Ministry of Ayush's research initiatives and their major conclusions. The
article highlights about the 150 research studies comprising clinical, experimental, and
epidemiological studies undertaken by the Research Councils and National Institutes under
the Ministry of Ayush. These include studies on Ayurveda (75 studies), Homeopathy (30
studies), Siddha (14 studies), Unani (12 studies), and Yoga & Naturopathy (19 studies).
Ministry has done exemplary works during the COVID -19 through Nation-wide
distribution of Ayush-64 & Kabasura Kudineer. The Ayush interventions has got high
acceptance among the public which was evident from the ‘Ayush Sanjeevani’ based impact
assessment study which was done among more than 1 Cr population. The exponential
rise in no. of beneficiaries of Ayush systems under NAM to nearly 10 Cr has showcased
the trust and acceptance among people towards the strengths and potential of Ayush
systems.

The government's support for promoting business, trade, and industry in Ayush is
highlighted in a section specifically devoted to "Industry & Academia Collaboration". The
experts from reputed industries shared their views on the steps by Govt as well as
industries which resulted in enormous growth in market share. The Govt. of India's
initiatives to support the Ayush start-up sector like “Make in India”, “Start-up India”, and call
of the “Vocal for Local” etc were discussed in this section. Impact on Ayush start-ups like
Nirogstreet, Kapiva, Ixoreal and Atreya innovations after their mention in Mann ki Baat
programme were documented in an article.

Selected specialists' insights on the use of Ayurveda and Yoga abroad are presented in a
section specifically devoted to international cooperation. This section also emphasizes the
possibility for global trade and cooperation. Areas like for platforms for promoting
Ayurveda in Germany, Sweden; Establishment of Global Centre for Traditional Medicine for
the growth and advancement of Ayush systems globally were the important subjects in this
section.